Liquid elevating device



Dec. 19, 1933. A. c. woon LIQUID ELEVATING DEVICE Filed Jan. 2, 1931 Patented Dec. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,939,752 LIQUID ELEVATING DEVICE I Andrew C. Wood, Chicago, Ill. Application January 2, 1931. Serial No. 506,032

7 Claims. (01. ma -23) This invention relates to fluid pumps and particularly to that class of pumps wherein the operation of the pump is controlled by the quantity of fluid passing therethrough.

The present invention is particularly adaptable for use in connection with devices requiring varying quantities of fluid for their operation, as, for example, internal combustion engines, in the operation of which, varying quantities of fuel per minute pass through the carburetor, depending upon the speed or power delivered by the engine, it being understood, however, that its use is not limited to such an arrangement, as it may be used in other cases as for instance .where a constant or a nearly constant level of a fluid is to be maintainedor where a constant or nearly constant head of fluid is to be maintained. One object of thepresent invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement whereby a predetermined maximum quantity of fluid in the reservoir of the pump will serve to actuate suitable mechanism for disconnecting the pump piston from its actuating member or rod. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means for connecting the pump piston and actuating 'rod when the fluid in the reservoir of the pump is below apredetermined minimum level, the said connecting means being operable to disconnect the piston and rod when the predetermined'maximum level is obtained.

Another object of the invention is .to provide a novel construction and arrangement for maintaining the various elements of the connecting mechanism and the actuating means therefor in proper relative position with respect to each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement of check valves for controlling the flow of fluidpumped into the reservoir.

A still further object of the present invention is to improve devices of the character described -in sundry details hereinafter referred to, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

' One embodiment of the'present invention is shown for illustrative purposes in the accompanying drawing in which .Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a pump or fluid elevating device embodying features of the present invention;

Fig.- 2 is a sectional planview of the structure shown in Fig. 1 and taken as indicated by the line 2-2thereof;. n-

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation of a portion of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, and taken as indicated by the line 3-3 thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional elevation of a portion of the device illustrating a slightly modified arrangement of the means for actuating the piston connecting mechanism when the level of the fluid within the pump reservoir has been lowered to the predetermined minimum level.

The illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises a casing 5 having preferably cylindrical sidewalls 6, base 7, and coveror top 8 secured to the side walls by means of cap screws 9, the base '7 having an inlet port 11 and outlet port 12 formed therein, the inlet port 11 being provided with a suitable fitting 13 adapted to be connected to asuitable source of fluid supply, while the outlet port 12 is provided with a fitting 14 by which the pump may be connected with any suitable device designed for the use or consumption of fluid as, forexamplean internalcombustion engine, and in connection with which the present invention will be described as to its operation.

The inlet port 11, is provided with a check valve shown, in the present instance, as' comprising a flat plate 15 adapted to engage. avalve seat 16 and connected to one end of an-arm 17, which in turn is loosely mounted on a headed stud or screw 18 carried by the. base casing, is a pump cylinder 21 surrounding the intake port 11, and slidably .mounted in the cylinder 2-1 is a piston 22 having a port or .passage 23 formed therein, the said passage being provided with a check valve similar in construction to the valve 15 associated with the inlet port 11, and comprising a plate 24 connected to one end of an arm 25, which in turn is loosely mounted on a headed stud or screw 26 carried by a portion of the piston 22, a pin 27 also carried by the piston being adapted to ,extendthrough an'elongated aperture formed inthe arm 25 formaintaining the plate 24 in Mounted on the piston 22 is a plate or yoke member 28 rigidly secured to the piston by means of screws 29 in a manner to form, in effect, a part thereof, and mounted on the yoke member or formed integrally therewith, preferably adjacent the central portion thereof, is a guide member 30 shown, in the present instance, as comprising a tube positioned on and rigidly secured to the yoke member, the lower end of the guide member 30 being positioned in an aperture 28a formed in the yoke 28, and its opposite end extending upwardly into the casing 5.

For reciprocating the piston 22 within the cylinder 21, a piston actuating member or rod. 31 is slidably mounted in the casing, preferably through the use of a ,stuiiing box 32 suitably positioned in the cover or top plate 8 of the casing, the upper end of the member 3I'being pivotally connected at 33 to an arm 34 i-nter-' mediate its end portions The arm 34 is pivotaily' connected at 35 adjacent one of its end porti'ens-to the upper end of alink 36, the lower end of which is pivotally mounted on a bracket 3'7 carried by the top plate 8 of the casing. The opposite or free end of the arm 34, in the present instance, isprovided with an aperture 38- by which the arm may be connected to any suitable continuously operative driving mechanism for oscillating the arm and reciprocating the piston actuating member 31 in the stuffing box 32.

The piston actuating member 31 is shown, in the present structure, as comprising a rod of cylindrical form provided adjacent its upper end with aslot 39 adapted to receive the arm 34, while the lower end" of the member or rod extendsinto the guide member 30 and is bifurcated or slotted'as indicated at 40 to receive a bell crank lever indicated as a whole by the numeral -41 and having a long arm portion 42 extending also into the guide member 3'0,and also a short arm portion 43' extending laterally from the piston actuating member 31, the bellcrank lever 41 being pivotally mounted on a pin 44 adjacent the: upper end of the bifurcated portion 40', the pin 44 extending outwardly beyond opposite faces of the member 31 in a manner to provide a fulcrum for a pair of arms 45 comprising an operating arm adapted to extend laterally from theptston actuating member 31 in the opposite direction from. the short arm portion 43 of the bell crank lever 41.

For operatively connecting the piston 22 and its yoke 28 to the piston actuating member 31, the long arm portion 42 of the bell crank lever 41' is: provided adjacent its lower end with a hook or shoulder portion 47 adapted, when the member 31 is in its lowermost position, to extend below the lower end of the guide member; 30 and beneath the yoke 28 in a manner to engage the lower surface thereof as indicated by full lines in Fig, 1,. thereby connecting the piston 22 and piston actuating member 31 in a manner to cause the piston to bemoved upwardly in the cylinder 21 when the actuating member is raised.

To insure a downward movement of the piston 22 when the actuating member is moved downwardly, acollar or shoulder shown in the present instance as a washer 48 is positioned around the bifurcated end portion of the piston'actuating member 31 and below the pivot of the bell crank lever 41 in a manner to engage the upper end of the guide member 30, the washer 48' having ears 48a formed thereon .and secured against movement relatively to, the actuating member by means of pins or studs 49 positioned in said ears and extending outwardly from the actuating member above the washer, thereby preventing any interference with the operation of the bell crank lever by the upper end of the guide member 30.

The outer or free end of the short arm portion 43 of the bell crank lever 41 is provided with a pin 50 extending laterally at opposite sides thereof and connected'to one end of a pair of resilient members shown, in the present instance, as springs 51 positioned at opposite sides of the piston actuating member 31 and having their opposite ends connected to a pin 52 extending laterally on opposite sides of the arms 45 and positioned at a point substantially removed from the pivotal connection of the arms 45 with the piston. actuating member 31. The bell crank lever 41 and arms 45 are so mounted on the pin 44 as to be movable independently of each other, and it will be noted that the structure just described provides a snap mechanism in which, whenthe arms 45 have been moved upwardly about their pivotal center until the pin 52 has passed beyond the dead center line of the pin 44 and pin 59, the springs 51 exert a pull across the opposite or upper side of the pin 44 thereby rocking the bell crank lever 41 in a counterclockwise direction so' as to disengage the hook 47 from the underside of the yoke 28 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and whenthe arms 45 are moved downwardly and the longitudinal line of the springs 51 is positioned below the pin 44, the force exerted by the springs will then cause the bell crank lever 41 to be rocked in the opposite or clockwise direction to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 when the hook 4'7 will engage the lower surface of the yoke 28, thereby connecting the piston 22 and actuating member 31 so that the piston will be reciprocated with the actuating member. A stop member 45a is positioned between the arms 45 and engageable with the member 31 for limiting the up and down movement of the arms 45.

For controlling the operation of the snap mechanism to connect and disconnect the piston 22 and actuating member 31 according. to the quantity of fluid in the casing 5, the upper end of a rod 53 is pivotally mounted adjacent the free ends of the arms 45 by means of a fitting 54 of T formation having its head portion positioned between the arms 45 and secured in position with respect thereto by means of a, pin 55, the base or lower end of the T fitting being provided with a shoulder 56 adapted to be engaged by the upper surface of a float 57 shown, in the present instance, as of a transverse dimension substantially equal to that of the interior of the casing 5 and having an aperture 58 formed therein adapted to loosely receive the guide member 30, and a second aperture 59 of preferably less diameter adapted to loosely receive the rod53.

Adjacent the lower end of the rod 53 is a collar or washer 60 secured in position thereon by means of a pin 61 and formed in. the lower side of the float 57 preferably in alignment with the aperture 59 is a counter bore 62 having a bottom portion or shoulder 63 surrounding the aperture 59 and adapted to engage the collar 60, the

diameter of the counter bore 62 being sufficiently large to permit the collar 60 to freely pass'there-- through and into engagement with the shoulder It will be observed from the foregoing description that the float in its upward movement will engage the shoulder 56 to move the arms 45 upan operative connection between the 'wardly to disconnect the hook 47 from engagement with the yoke 28 and piston 22, and that a downward movement of the float aftersuch disconnection will engage the collar 60 to move the arms downwardly in a manner to cause the hook 47 to engage the yoke 28and establish piston 22 and actuating member 31. a In the operation of the device, the piston actuating member 31 is reciprocated by suitable driving means operatively connected to the free end of the arm 34, and with the bell crank lever '41 and associated elementsin the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the piston 22 will be reciprocate'd within the pump cylinder 21 to draw fluid through the intake port 11 and into the casing 5. As the level of the fluid in the casing rises, the float 57 will be elevated untilthe upper surface thereof engages the shoulder 56 to move the free ends of the arms 45 upwardlyabout their pivotal connection with the pin 44 until a effect a'movement of the piston, the guide member 30"during such ineffective reciprocation of the guide member 31 serving to maintain the hook 47 in proper relationship with'respect to the aperture formed in the yoke'member 28, and

serving also as a guide for-the lower end of the piston actuating member 31.

As the fluid is withdrawn from the casing 5 through the outlet- 12, the level of the fluid in the casing is lowered thereby permitting the float 57 to move downwardly until the shoulder or bottom portion 63 of the counter bore on the lower side of the float engages the collar 60, thereby drawing the arms 45 downwardly until the pin 52 passes below the dead center line of the pins 44 and 50, when the tension of the springs 51 will exert a force on the pin in a manner to rock the bell crank lever 41 in a clockwise direction to move the hook 47 into engagement with the yoke 28 as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, thereby again establishing an operative connection between the piston 22 and actuating member 31 for reciprocating the piston within the cylinder 21 and continuing the pumping operation.

In the structure shown in Fig. 4, instead of employing the collar for moving the arms 45 in a downwardly direction, I provide an ad'- justable screw 64 adapted to engage the cross head of the T fitting 54 when the arms are in their raised position and when the actuating member 31 and snap mechanism are moved upwardly, the screw 64 being adjustable in the cover 8 for varying the position at which engagement of the T head and screw will take place.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the present invention provides novel means including float operated snap mechanism mounted on the piston actuating member. for connecting and disconnecting the actuating member and piston at the predetermined low and high levels, respectively, of the fluid within the casing, and provides suitable guide" means for maintaining the connecting means in proper relationship with respect to the piston to insure effective engagement therewith.

Obviously the present invention is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement shown and described as the same may be variously modified. Moreover, all the features of "the invention need not be used conjointly as the same may be used to advantage in variously different combinations and sub-combinations.

What I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is: r

1. In a device of the class described,-the combination of a casing having inlet and outlet ports, a pump cylinder positioned in said casing, a piston operatively'related to said cylinder, a piston actuating member slidably mounted in said casing and movable with respect to said piston, connecting means pivotally mounted on said member andengageable' with said piston,

a float, anarm pivotally mounted on said member and operatively related to said connecting means, said arm having means associated therewith and with said float in a manner to be engaged by oppositely disposed portions of the float for connecting said member and piston when fluid in the casing is below a predetermined minimumlevel and for disconnecting the member and piston when the fluid is above a predetermined maximum level.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing having inlet and outlet ports, a pump cylinder positioned in said casing,

a piston operatively related to said cylinder, a

piston actuating member slidably mounted in said casing and movable with respect to said piston, connecting means pivotally mounted on said member and engageable with said piston, a float, and means pivotally mounted onsaid member coaxially with said connecting means and operatively related thereto and to said float in 'a manner to be actuated by an upward and downward movement of the float for connecting said member and piston when the fluid in the casing is below a predetermined minimum level and for disconnecting the member and piston when the fluid'is above a predetermined maximum level.

3. Ina device of the class described, the combination of a casing having inlet and outlet ports, a pump cylinder positioned in'said casing,

tively related to said hook and float in a manner to be actuated by the float for connecting .said member and piston when the fluid in the casing is below a predetermined low level and for disconnecting the member and piston when the fluid is above a predetermined high level.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing having inlet and outlet ports, a pump cylinder positioned in said casing, a piston operatively related to said cylinder, a piston actuating member slidably mounted in said casing and movable with respect to said piston, a float, a bell crank lever pivotally' mounted on said member, and having a hook portion engageable with the piston, an operating arm mounted .on said member, resilient means for connecting said arm and lever, means carried by the free end of said arm and adapted to be engaged by opposed-surfaces of said float for moving said hook portion into and out of engagement with said piston, and a guide member mounted on said piston for maintaining said hook portion in desired position with respect to the piston. v V

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a I casing having inlet and outlet ports, a pump cylinder positioned in said casing, a piston operatively related to said cylinder, a piston actuating member slidably mounted in said casing and movable with respect tosaid piston, a float, a bell crank lever .pivotally mounted on said member and having a hook portion formed on one armthereof and engage-- able with said piston, an operating arm pivotally mounted 'on said member coaxially with said lever, resilient means for connecting said operating arm and the other arm of said bell crank lever, a rod-carried by the free end of said arm and extending loosely through said float, spaced shoulders mounted on said rod above and below said float and adapted to be engaged by the upper and lower faces'thereof respectively for moving said hook portion into and out of engagement with respect to said piston, and a tubular guide member mounted on said piston and adapted to receive said actuating member and hook portion for maintaining the hook'portion in desired position with respect to the piston; a

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing having inlet and outlet ner to move the hook into and out of engagement with said piston for connecting and disconnecting said member and piston when the fluid in said casing is at a predetermined low and high level, respectively.

'7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing having inlet and outlet ports, a pump cylinder positioned in said casing, a piston operatively related to said cylinder,

a piston actuating member slidably mounted in said casingand movable with respect to said piston, a float, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said member and having a hook portion engageable with the piston, an operating arm mounted on said member, resilient means for connecting said arm and lever, means carried by the free end of said arm and adapted to be engaged by said float for moving said hook portion out of engagement with said piston,

means operatively related to the free end of said arm for actuating the arm to move the hook into engagement with they piston, and a guide member mounted on said piston for maintaining said hook portion in desired position with respect to the piston.

ANDREW C. WOOD. 

